The will to implement reforms to improve global anti-doping remains the missing ingredient in a recipe for clean sport. A clear call for system changes were identified and described in the Copenhagen Declaration produced in August 2016 by a group of National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) leaders including the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES). “The path forward is clear.  Now is the time for all stakeholders, including the IOC, to come together in support of clean athletes and bring these proposed reforms to life” according to Paul Melia, President and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

Mr. Melia made the comment today following the release of a statement from the membership of iNADO confirming its broad support for the proposed reforms. He noted that CCES has been at the heart of the global effort by NADO leaders that have been working on behalf of clean athletes since before the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games to address the failings in the global anti-doping system identified in the McLaren Report in July 2016.

As reinforced in today’s statement from the broad iNADO membership, the solutions to some of our current challenges are well within our reach.  What is missing is the conviction and commitment by the respective organizations to implement the reforms such as improved governance practices in sport organizations to ensure greater independence and transparency, along with measures to ensure protection for whistleblowers like Yuliya and Vitaly Stepanov who first exposed widespread doping practices in Russia in 2014.

• This media release was originally published by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) on 12 March 2017. To access the original, please click here.